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20 years of Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street: past and present
By:Wu Qiong  |  From:english.eastday.com  |  2019-09-16 21:21

September 20 marks the 20th anniversary of Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street. As the No.1 commercial street in China, it represents the prosperity of Shanghai’s commerce.

Known to some as China’s Fifth Avenue, it is a premiere shopping destination with many well-known brands filling the retail space. Running roughly from People’s Square to the Bund, the road carries many old Shanghainese’ memories.

At 7:05pm on September 20, 1999, the "Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street" monument was unveiled to cheers and spiritedapplause. Nanjing Road, with a history of nearly 150 years, ushered in its golden time. That day, the number of visitors reached more than 1 million, exceeding that on the National Day of the previous year. Moreover, nearby shopping circles on Xizang Road, Zhejiang Road and Henan Road also benefited from the prosperity of the pedestrian street.

Back in the 1990s, the planning for the time-honored street aimed high. While carrying forward the historic and cultural features of the street, the planners wanted to draw upon the experiences of foreign commercial streets, so as to create a business environment using modern ideas and technology and fully displaying Shanghai’s city image as an international metropolis.

In recent years, to satisfy increasing consumer demand, East Nanjing Road has been undergoing a transformation. Old shopping malls like the No. 1 Department Store and the Orient Shopping Center received major facelifts. Shops making their debut in China, flagship stores and experience shops keep springing up. The night economy has also begun to bloom.

(Photos by Jin Dinggen, Zhang Chunhai)

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